Organic Skincare

Organic vs Natural

In the very aware age in which we live most of us don’t want to eat pesticides or food stripped of its natural goodness, so we don’t want to put highly processed or pesticide-laden ingredients on our skin either. In fact, I like to say: “If you wouldn’t want to eat it why would you want to rub it on your face?”

We believe that what is not inside the bottle or jar is just as important as what is. Astara products do not have toxic preservatives, parabens, formaldehyde, petroleum or petroleum derivatives, harsh surfactants or sulfides, pesticides, synthetic fragrances, phthalates or artificial colors or dyes.

But are they 100% Organic? Personal care products are not regulated by the FDA or any other government agency so there really is no such thing as organic certification for skin care products in the USA. When we think of organic we think of quality, safety and sustainability. For thousands of years almost every culture on Earth has had its own culture of making natural beauty care and medicines from plants and herbs. Many of the so-called organic products in stores today bear no resemblance to the pure products created by our ancestors, but by labeling them as organic, manufacturers are able to sell them at a premium and market them as if they were potent potions. Organic certification has not only reinforced the myth but it has added to the confusion.

At Astara we carefully source our ingredients and attempt to use only truly organically certified ingredients whenever possible, but we feel it is even more important that the active botanical ingredients we use contain all the enzymes that made them effective in the first place and this is only possible if the ingredient has not been heated above 116 degrees F. Enzymes that are undamaged by heat or chemicals are easily assimilated into the skin where they create the vital energy necessary for cell and tissue regeneration. We feel our standards are stricter than what is commonly accepted as Organic because our products have a verifiable life force and truly make a difference.